Chapter One: A Family Affair
The sun had just begun rising as the Kumar family sat down for breakfast. The early morning news was being broadcast, and the anchor mentioned the popular business tycoon, Mr. Sharma, the most influential man in Mumbai city. As soon as his name was mentioned, Rohan, a man in his late fifties and the head of the Kumar family, quickly grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Since everyone was aware of the reason behind this action, no one dared to utter a word. Although this kind of situation had become routine, every member of the house was already used to it, except one - Aishwarya, Rohan's youngest daughter.
After breakfast, Rohan, the father, would be leaving for a board meeting. Priyanka, Aishwarya's immediate elder sister, mentioned that Uncle Aarav would also be going with him in the same car. Aishwarya thought of borrowing Uncle Aarav's car so that the girls could go on a picnic. She pleaded with Uncle Aarav to let them borrow his car. Although Aarav was not pleased with this idea, he had no choice but to agree, as he was trying to act nice and kind towards the family. The truth was that Aarav was not a good person; he was more of a pretender. That's why the girls felt more comfortable around him than around their father. In that house, no one dared to joke with Rohan, not even their mother, Mrs. Shurti.
"I'm not going," Aishwarya said swiftly. "Why?" Kriti, the oldest among the girls, asked. Kriti was getting married in a week's time. Aishwarya lied, saying she had some tests in school. The truth was that she was going out to meet someone. "We'll drop you off at school then," Priyanka said. Aishwarya nodded, flashing a dazzling smile. She was the most beautiful among the three sisters and took after her mother's looks. Kriti, on the other hand, looked a lot like their dad, while Priyanka didn't resemble either of them.
By 8 am, Rohan had already left for work, and the girls were also ready to move out.
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Meanwhile, at the Sharma residence, Kunal was getting ready for his day. He walked into the living room, where his younger brother, Ishaan, was sitting on the couch.
"Are you coming to watch the cricket match with me?" Kunal asked Ishaan.
"No," Ishaan replied. "I'm going to visit an old friend of mine. He's not feeling well, and I want to pay him a visit."
Kunal could tell that Ishaan was lying, as he was the closest to him among all their family members. Similar to the Kumar family, their dad, Mr. Siddharth Sharma, also had three sons: Karan, the oldest, Kunal, the second son, and Ishaan, the youngest.
Kunal wondered if Ishaan was on a date or something, but he decided not to interfere with his private affairs.
Ishaan was set to leave when his phone beeped with a message: "Come and pick me up in front of the Mumbai Mini Campus. Love you." It was Aishwarya, the love of his life. He replied, "I'll be there soon. Love you too." He quickly went to the garage and drove out. Within 15 minutes, he had arrived at the university. Aishwarya was already lost in conversation with one of her friends, chatting away, unaware that Ishaan had arrived. He stared at her for a while, thinking of how to get her attention. Finally, he brought out his phone and texted her. Her phone beeped, and the message read: "You look better in a yellow dress." She wondered how he knew the color of her dress.
She was about to reply when she suddenly looked up and saw him. "Naughty boy," she said, as she hopped into the car. She gave him a hug, and he gave her a light peck in return. "I've missed you," he said. "I've missed you too," she replied. "I wish our families weren't enemies," Ishaan said, suddenly serious. "Did you try what I told you?" he asked her. "You know I couldn't," Aishwarya replied. "My dad would kill me if I dared mention your dad's name to him. What about you?" she threw the question back at him. "I did," he said. "And what did your father say?" she quickly cut in. He didn't reply. "I couldn't continue asking him, otherwise he would get suspicious of me." His father was the famous Mr. Aditya Sharma, CEO of the Sharma Company, a company popular in the city for its products such as cement, salt, and pasta. His father was soon planning to retire and hand over some of the companies to his first son, Karan.
"I guess we just have to keep praying for God's intervention," Aishwarya said.
"Let's go," Ishaan nodded in agreement and started the car.
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